Tricks
by BelieveForMe
Summary: ON HOLD A runaway slave caught and mistaken as princess Hinata. She lost her name, her life, for their happiness. And now, she pays the price. Don't fall for Hinata's brother, your brother, prince Sasuke. Because you are Hinata now. Remember that, Sakura.
1. Mistaken Identity

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto character's do not belong to me, however the plot and all the other awesome-y goodness belongs to moi!

**(A.N:) Th****e intro to Tricks, and as you can see, is quite short. Expect other chapters to be twice or three times as long as this one.**

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**Chapter 1 – Mistaken Identity **

**Tricks**

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_People have always told me that everyone will live their own fairy tale. And I've always told myself, fairy tales never come true. Well at least for me they don't. Ever since my parents suddenly disappeared, I woke up and found myself living as a slave to the citizens of this town._

"Quickly! Don't let that brat get away! She's the key to making us rich when she's of age!" One of the townsfolk yelled. "Hai!" The citizen's roared as they raised their shovels, rakes and torches. All of the townsfolk quickly divided themselves into small groups, searching high and low for the run away slave.

_Although my life is a complete waste. I found at least one thing to be thankful for; my trusted friend Naruto. _

Sakura continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her, every so often she'd look behide her shoulder to check if she was being followed. "Shimatta,"**(1) **she muttered as she saw three figures a few of meters away from her. The run away slave dashed away before she was caught, making a sharp turn towards a narrow alley. Sakura kept as quiet as she could, trying her best to hide the sound of her heavy panting as she allowed her body to slide down the wall for a short rest. Thankful for the shade and darkness the alley provided, the girl took in deep breaths as she closed her eyes and prayed, prayed that she'd make it out of this town alive.

_Sakura is my name. Currently a seventeen year old run away slave. The townsfolk keep me 'for the money I'll bring them when I'm of age'. My daily life is only completed once I finish cleaning 10 houses a day, cook for almost half the townsfolk and work in the fields under the hot blazing sun from morning till __noon__. No pay. For slaves never get paid. _

_I am merely fed twice a day with bread and milk, locked up in a small room with little light provided by the rays of the sun, in which they call my sleeping chamber._

"Pst, Sakura-chan. Over here," The blond whispered as he waved his hands as a signal to come to him. The girl jumped when she suddenly heard a voice calling her. Sakura turned her head to face her blond friend, Naruto. He pointed behide him, silently telling Sakura to follow him. She nodded as she went on her hands and knees as she followed her blond friend through the dark ally.

_I have no family, well at least that's what I think. 3 years ago, I found myself lying on a straw bed of one of the townsfolk's cabin. Remembering nothing of my past. When I awoke, many females of the towns gave me pity looks. Silently whispering to their husbands, "What you're doing is wrong. She was so kind to us; we should tell her the truth." _

_But the men shrugged off their wives pleads. I'd always hear their whispers as I worked day and night. _

_"Only one more year!" They'd quietly cheer._

_"She'll bring us riches!" _

**_Riches. My. Ass._**

_How would I bring them their riches? Marriage? I'd doubt it, I haven't seen my reflection in years, let alone have enough time to take care of my appearance to even think that I'm pretty enough for some rich man to marry. My unique pink colored hair hasn't been properly cut for the past 2 years, and has now grown past my waist._

"Sakura-chan, hurry." Naruto called as he continued to crawl deeper into the dark alley. She picked up her pace behide her friend as her body continued to shake in fear of being caught. The blond stopped in his tracks as he carefully peered out at the end of the alley, searching for any signs of citizens. "Clear," He whispered as he took her hand in his.

_The world I live in consists of 3 lifestyles. _

_The poor peasants, the common townsfolk, and the noble royalty's. _

_And although Naruto is a close friend of mine, I have no clue which life style he lives by. Not that it matters much. But sometimes, when he is able to sneak outside the small window of my room, he'd bring some extra food or other little presents for me. And I can't help but wonder, where on earth does he get theses things. _

_Never the less, I trust Naruto with my life. _

_Not that I actually have a life worth much._

In a matter of moments, Naruto stood up and tugged at their linked hands, mentioning for them to run. The two friends ran as fast as they could, although Naruto, who was faster then Sakura was dragging her behide as she tried to keep up. "O-oi, slow down I can't run as fast as you." Sakura pleaded. "Sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto said, still not stopping his fast pace. "There's no time to spare."

* * *

Itachi silently walked towards the room his father was currently in. Breathing even, and face stoic. Raising his right hand, he firmly knocked three times on the elegant hand-crafted door. "Come in," A voice behide the door muttered. Itachi placed his hand on the gold handle the eldest of the Uchiha heir gracefully opened the door. He was greeted by a few maids dusting the room, Itachi nodded in response. "Father." He called with little emotion. 

The eldest Uchiha brother looked around the grand room and saw his father sitting in front of his large desk, sorting out a few letters. Itachi walked over and stopped just a foot away from King Fugaku's desk. His father sighed as his eye's left the letter he was holding.

"Yes? Itachi?" Fugaku asked, hoping to get a straight answer from his eldest son. Itachi sighed as he scanned his father's desk, papers and quills splattered everywhere. Silently picking up a letter without permission, Itachi began to scan it's contents. "Ah, another marriage proposal?" Itachi asked. His father nodded. "Is that all you've come in for?" The head Uchiha asked in an impatient tone.

Itachi put the letter back in its original spot as he slightly shook his head. "My dear sister** (2)**, Hinata-hime** (3)** has run away." Itachi calmly reported.

"Ah, again I see." Fugaku replied in a calm manner. Resting her arms on the desk, he sighed.

"Very well, send a few guards to look for her." His father ordered with a small wave of his hands.

"Hai, otosan **(4)**." Itachi said, giving a small bow before leaving.

* * *

Sakura and Naruto continued to dash across the plains of Konoha, finally, after running down a steep hill, the pair came to a stop. Sakura resisted the urge to collapse on the spot as she panted for air. "Come on," Naruto tugged as he led them towards an abandoned looking house. "Wh-Where are we going?" Sakura asked, still out of breath. "We're helping you escape." Naruto replied as he continued to drag the pink haired girl towards the house. "We? Who's we?" She asked as they stopped in front of the door. Naruto smiled as the door slowly opened, causing a high pitched creaking sound. Sakura blinked as a pale, shy looking raven haired girl stepped forward. "P-pleased to meet you, S-Sakura-san." She greeted. Naruto grinned. "Sakura-chan, meet Hinata-chan." 

_Sometimes though, I don't know what is going on in that blond head of his._

_There was a night he popped by my window, tapping on it once or twice to get my attention, and when I open it, he hands me this dress. A rather expensive looking dress I might add. Looked like a worn princess's dress._

_Now where on earth did he get that? _

_When I asked him, he merely said, "Got it from a friend. Just like the old times eh hime?" _

_He laughed._

_Since when did Naruto start speaking riddles?_

"W-wait!" Sakura protested as she was dragged into the abandoned house with the other two. "What are you guys planning?" The run away slave asked as her body was gently pushed inside the house. Neither of the two answered as Naruto lightly guided Sakura onto an old, sturdy looking chair. "Just trust us," Naruto whispered as Hinata scurried around the old house grabbing a few items. "I-I'm ready," Hinata said as she walked towards the two friends. Naruto gave a warm smile to the raven haired girl and whispered a thank you to her. "Sakura-chan, come." Naruto quietly ordered. The pink haired girl followed his orders as she walked over to the blond without a word.

When the pink haired girl was beside Naruto, he gave a weak smile as he embraced her with a tight hug. "Sayonara..." Naruto whispered into her ear, right before Sakura's world went black.

* * *

"W-we should've left her a note," Hinata suddenly said as her and Naruto walked away from the abandoned house. Naruto shook his head. "She'll be fine." He smiled as he took her hand in his. Naruto's vision went blurry as his foot work became sloppy. "N-Naruto-kun? Daijoubu?"**(5)** Hinata asked in a worried tone as she helped Naruto balance himself. "Gomen..."The blond replied as he rubbed his head. "Just a bit tired from using too much chakra to transform her..." **(6)**

* * *

Sakura groaned as she stirred from her sleep. "W-where am I?" She mumbled to her tired self. Her head twisted around the room, "Naruto?" She called. "Hinata-san?" There was no answer. Sakura got up to a sitting position as she closed her eyes and rubbed her aching head. "Ugh, that baka." Sakura mumbled to herself. "When I get my--" 

Sakura opened her eyes in disbelief. "W-what am I wearing?" Sakura asked. The run away slave stood up, eyes fixed on her elegant navy blue gown. Moving her hands around to feel the soft material of the gown, she noticed her hand was somewhat paler then usual. Lifting her hand up to her face to inspect it, she noticed how her nails were neatly trimmed and polished. "What on earth is going on?" Sakura asked herself as she made a break for the door. Noticing her footsteps made an odd sound, she lifted her dress up to reveal a matching pair of heels. "Ugh, how am I supposed to run in these?" She complained as she quickly took them off. Grabbing the heels before she ran out of the abandoned house.

_I hate the feeling of being abandoned. _

_It was how I felt when I first woke up with the unfamiliar faces of the townsfolk crowding around me._

_It's how I feel now, waking up with no sign of the only person that bought me hope._

* * *

"Alright men! Ready your horses, Hinata-hime has gone missing!" A knight from the Uchiha kingdom ordered. Ten knights came out with well groomed chocolate brown horses; each knight wore steel plated armor along with the famous Uchiha fan symbol placed on the right shoulder. The horses neighed before each horse began their gallop towards the town the princess of the Uchiha kingdom was last seen. 

"Oi, Kakashi, go look down those streets for hime-sama." A knight ordered as he pointed to the street on the right. The grey haired knight merely nodded as he commanded for his horse to gallop towards the street.

---

"Damn that Naruto, what the hell is he planning? I'm gunna kill him." Sakura muttered to herself as she ran down the streets of a town. Sakura sighed as her running pace slowed. She looked at her surroundings. It was a new town, fairly rich by the looks of it. "Great, now I'm lost." She growled as she started to walk down the cobblestone streets. Every so often Sakura would stop in front of a stand full of different merchandise and goods, lusting for a bite of the variety of fresh fruits on display, only to receive the owner's bows. Out of courtesy, Sakura curtsied back, slightly confused why owners would just bow to a run away slave dressed nicely.

Continuing her stroll down the unfamiliar town, Sakura looked around for someone that could help her. "Ah," She said when she spotted a man that looked like an officer. Sakura started to jog towards the grey haired man. "E-excuse me sire," Sakura said in her most polite tone when she was in talking distance from the man.

Kakashi looked down towards the voice, studying her appearance.

"I was wondering if you could help me around the town." Sakura continued.

Kakashi continued to eye the girl. Sakura, feeling the grey haired man's eye on her started to get nervous as her body slightly trembled under his glaze. Kakashi gave another hard study on the girl's appearance before opening his mouth. "Why do you look-"

"Ah! Kakashi! You've found her!" Called another voice, interrupting the grey haired knight from finishing his question. Kakashi eyed Sakura again before he gave an unsure nod to the fellow knight. Sakura blinked, 'found who?' she thought to herself. "Hime, your father is looking for you." The other knight reported as he gave a short bow.

Sakura blinked, "H-Hime?" She asked in disbelief. The knight got up from his bowing position as his eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Hai, hime-sama. Your father, Fugaku-sama is requesting that you come back to the kingdom." The knight repeated.

'W-whats wrong with these people? Thinking I'm a princess of their kingdom?' Sakura thought.

Sakura started to back away a bit. Still nervous, she decided to speak, "A-ano, sire, I-I think you've got the wron-" Sakura stopped her sentence as she caught hold of the image reflected on the knight's armor. She blinked in disbelief as she saw a pale, shy looking raven haired girl as her reflection. Sakura's hand gently touched her cheek, still unsure why Hinata's appearance was her reflection. The knight's face changed into a questioning expression, wondering why the princess was staring at her reflection from his armor. "W-why do I look like this?" Sakura quietly asked herself as she continued to stare at her reflection.

Something in Kakashi's mind clicked as he suddenly pulled Sakura up behide him on the horse before the other knight became suspicious. "Well, shall we be on our way? **Hinata-Hime**?" He winked.

Sakura blinked a few times before her instincts told her to trust the man. "H-hai," the dazed Sakura replied. Hesitantly wrapping her arms around the silver haired man's torso, the two horses galloped towards the Uchiha Kingdom.

_From that moment on, I knew I'd be living my life by smoke and mirrors. _**(7)**_  
_

_Tricks._

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**Translations -**

**(1)** Shit/Damn

**(2)** In this story, Hinata is the youngest of the Uchiha siblings. Yes, that means Hinata is Sasuke and Itachi's sister in this story. I chose her because she was the only girl out of the 4 that had similar hair color to the Uchiha brothers. More will be explained as the story progresses!

**(3)** Princess

**(4)** Father/Dad

**(5)** Are you okay?

**(6)** I was not sure how to do Sakura's transformation, so I decided to go with the transformation technique. I know this story is more middle ages and such, but I'm planning on having a bit of the Naruto ninja plot involved as well. Meaning the bloodline limits and such. But because this is the middle ages, I will make a little down side. All techniques will take up a lot of energy. Even the easy techniques; such as the transformation technique Naruto used. All techniques will use up a lot more chakra then usual because the users of these techniques are not as advance as the ninja's in the anime. Hope that wasn't too confusing, more will be explained as the story goes on.

**(7)** The expression; smokes and mirrors basically means illusions and or tricks.

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**(A.N:)** The ever awaited Chapter 1 of Tricks is now complete! Hope that was a good intro for this story! Other chapters will be **much** longer since this is just the opening to the story!

The plot is going to have a lot of twists and turns! So stay tuned! Next chapter should be up by the 15th!

**Please click that lovely purple button to your left, review** and tell me what you think!


	2. Enter the World of Royalty

**Sorry for any grammar mistakes! I wrote most of the chapter yesterday night at 11pm - 3am**

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**Chapter 2 –**

**  
**_ Enter the World of Royalty: Meet Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha_

**Tricks**

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_While we continued down our way towards the _ _Uchiha__Kingdom__, I have learned 3 things._

_Number 1: The grey haired man currently sitting infront of me is named Kakashi._

_Number 2: Although he is a knight for the _ _Uchiha__Kingdom__, he was a friend to Hinata-san. And from the hints he had dropped, he seems to know that I'm not actually her._

_Number 3: I'm pretty sure I can trust him._

_For now at least._

_- _

"Hinata-hime, we have arrived." The leading knight stated as the horses continued a slow, steady pace across the bridge. Sakura gave an unsure nod as she hesitantly studied the large flowing river that ran around the castle. The group of knights had reunited with them soon after the message that the princess has been found was sent out. Sakura absentmindedly squirmed on the horse saddle as they passed through the castles gates, nervous, under the many looks and greetings she received when they entered the castle grounds. "Welcome back, Hinata-hime." One of the maids greeted as she gave a slight bow of respect. "H-hai," Sakura shyly answered as she slightly bowed her head in response.

Two proud standing servants stopped at each side of Kakashi's stallion, both offering their right hands infront of the princess. Sakura gently placed her hands ontop of each, before jumping off the horses back, tripping slightly when her uncomfortable shoes first touched the ground, but still managing to land in a graceful manner. The grey haired knight silently jumped off the horse and landed behind her. Kakashi gently combed his fingers through the horses mane before slightly tugging at the rope, leading the horse back to its stable. While walking towards the stables, their shoulders lightly brushed against each others as Sakura felt a quiet whisper behind her. "Meet me in Hinata's room."

She quickly turned around, only able to catch a glimpse of Kakashi's distant figure before he was out of sight. None of the surrounding servants or knights seemed to have caught that moment. Sakura sighed out in relief. "Hinata-hime, would you like to head inside the palace?" The servant to her right asked her with a bow of respect. "P-please do so." She said with an unsure tone.

-

_So, I'm supposed to meet Kakashi in Hinata's room. _

_Alright, easy enough._

_Now, which way was her room again? _

* * *

-

Sakura awed in amazement as she walked along the red carpet rolled out in the center of the castles grand halls. The clacking of her high heels against the marbled flooring echoed throughout the hallway. "Where is everyone?" Sakura muttered to herself as she continued her path down the deserted hallway. She poked her head into a random room, which seemed to be the castle's kitchen. But again. The room was empty, chiefs were no where to be found. "That's odd." She told herself as she continued down the hallway. Her pace gradually becoming faster as an eerie atmosphere settled in her mind. "Anyone?" She was running now.

Sakura continued running throughout the castle until a grand window was in her view, portraying a few rays of sunlight from outside. She stared at the window for a moment, her breathing still hard and irregular from running. The Uchiha princess look a like took a few hesitant steps towards the sunlit window.

She spotted black.

Something, no... Someone was standing in front of the window, staring outside. Another step closer. Sakura's right arm went up to cover the rays of sunlight from damaging her pearl colored eyes. The shade her arm provided helped her vision.

He turned towards her, face still shadowed and unclear by the wrong angle of sunlight reflecting off him. From what she could see, the person was a man. It was easy enough to tell, no female would ever possess such a figure like his. It looked as if he was wearing a cape of some sort, almost long enough to brush his ankles. Raven hair in an untamed and messy fashion. But, there was no mistaking it. What stuck out the most...

His eyes.

-

Red.

-

The two stood still, almost as if stuck in time. Silence echoed in the hallways. She tried to get a closer look. He glared at her, with those blood red eyes. He blinked, and they disappeared. Midnight coal black eyes taking its place. She blinked. "What... happened to..." She whispered, not loud enough for him to hear it. She took another brave step forward, towards the mysterious, shadowy figure in front of her. "U-um..." She croaked out in a hesitant tone. "Can you help me to my room?" She asked, breaking the awkward tension she felt but still not daring to look into his eyes. The man didn't reply as he turned his back towards her. Settling back into the same position he was in before, staring out of the window again. "..." For a brief moment, the corner of his eyes reflected the two emotions of envy and hatred. She watched him in silence, not daring to blink incase he would disappear without her knowing. His head turned towards her, staring, studying her for a split second under his hard gaze.

She froze.

_D-does he know?_ She nervously gulped as he continued to stare her down. He broke the contact between their eyes, and walked away without a word.

Releasing a sigh of relief, she placed her hand ontop of her rapid beating heart, trying to calm herself down. "He's gone..." She breathlessly whispered to no one.

-

She blinked.

-

"He's gone!" She shouted, finally noticing she was alone again. She pulled the lower end of her gown up, allowing her to run faster, before dashing over to the window. Taking a quick glance at the view outside the glass frame before quickly speeding off in the same direction he went. "H-hey! Come back here, you!" She called after him.

He didn't pay attention to her calls as he continued walking. Sakura stopped chasing after him. She firmly planted her two feet and balled her fists. "You could at least answer!" She snapped at his distant figure. She didn't actually expect him to stop, but he did. The mystery man stopped in his tracks, only turning his head to face her. "Come." He ordered. She blinked, staring at his face. No longer unclear and blocked by the sunlight, Sakura now had a full view of his face. Raven colored locks, bangs brushing both sides of his face, a firm jaw line, and coal black eyes. "You actually... Spoke?" She asked in disbelief. "Hn." He answered, no longer facing her as he started walking in his fast pace again. She quickly ran after him, silently making it her goal not to lose sight of him.

She was so focused on running faster that she had almost failed to notice he had stopped infront of a door. Her pace slowed down as she neared him. She came to a complete stop when he was just a few feet infront of her. Sakura's image was no longer kept, her raven locks were slightly messy from running and her breathing pattern was irregular. "Why... Did, you, stop?" She panted. He said nothing but mentioned at the door with a slight movement of his head. Sakura sighed with relief as she placed her hand on the door handle. Suddenly remembering her manners, she turned around to face him, only to feel a small gust of wind beside her. Soft lavender eyes widened for a moment to see nothing in his place.

-

_He's gone..._

_Che. _

_- _

_- _

_What an ass._

* * *

-

She swung open the door in an unprincess like manner, back slouched, hair un-kept and breathing heavily. She glared at the grey haired man patiently sitting on a large elegant bed in the center of the room. He closed the scroll he was previously reading and smiled at her. Sakura stomped over towards the knight, right eye twitching with annoyance. "And usually, I'm the person known to be late." Kakashi chuckled as he continued to tease her behavior.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as she blew a part of her bangs away from her eyes. "Shut up, you didn't tell me the directions around this place." She ended with a huff as she turned away from him. He stood up from the bed, pocketing the scroll before walking towards bookshelves located to the right of the large room. "Tsk tsk." He started, scanning over the spine of each book. "Now now, is that how a princess suppose to act?" He lectured her in a fatherly tone, fingers skimming the title of each book.

-

_How am I supposed to act like a princess... When I don't even know how to?_

She didn't respond as she continued to ignore him. Kakashi stopped infront of a book titled: Journal, and slowly took it off of the book shelf. "I suppose you met your brother, Sasuke. I presume?" He asked, knowing she wouldn't say anything. Sakura blinked. "T-that was my brother?" She panicked. The grey haired knight flipped to the first page of the book, eyes scanning through its contents. "Of course." He answered, closing the book in one quick motion.

-

Sakura groaned remembering her recent behavior towards 'her' brother. She threw herself on the large king size bed with a sigh. Kakashi just smiled at her reaction, "This is just out of pure curiosity, but... Are you able to transform out of Hinata-hime's appearance?" The knight asked walking towards her. Sakura curled up into a ball on the ball, hugging one of the pillows in her arms. "No. I can't." She mumbled as she buried her head into the pillow.

"Actually. I really don't know how to..." She added in a soft tone. Kakashi's eyes held pity in them as he stared down on her lying figure. "Ah. I see. Well. This might be quite difficult." He said, allowing himself to sit on the edge of the bed. Sakura sat up, causing the pillow to fall to her lap. "How did you know I'm not the real Hinata anyways?" She asked with curiosity leaking through her words.

Kakashi smiled at her. "I have my reasons." He said in a slightly teasing tone. Sakura frowned. "Care to share?" She asked in annoyance.

Kakashi went into a thinking position for a moment. "N-o-p-e." His tone almost as if he were talking to a child, adding a smile soon after. Sakura sighed. "Now, where to start." Kakashi said to himself, standing up. "I don't recall you mentioning your name before, care to share?" He asked.

"Nope." Sakura teased back sticking her tongue out in a playful manner. A small laugh escaped her lips. "Just kidding. My name is Sakura. Nice to meet you, Kakashi-san." She introduced herself, extending her right hand forward for him to take. The two shook hands with a smile. "I presume you know Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked after they introduced themselves. Sakura nodded. "He was the only friend I had for the past 3 years." She explained in a somewhat sad tone. The raven haired princess stared at her folded hands resting ontop of her lap. "What have you been doing for the past 3 years?" Kakashi asked her still holding the journal in his hands. "I was a slave." She shamefully admitted without eye contact. "Were you always a slave?" He asked with interest. Sakura shook her head again. "I woke up three years ago, remembering nothing of past... You see, I don't even know my full name." She explained in a soft tone. Kakashi sat down beside her as he gently patted her head. "I'm sorry to hear that."

-

_Why be sorry for the things that have already happened?_

_- _

The two sat in silence. One reminiscing their past, and the other sitting beside her, giving the other a few comforting pats on the head. "I'm not a dog you know." Sakura laughed, breaking the silence. Kakashi chuckled, "Do you have any questions you'd like to ask me?"

Pearl colored eyes lit up. "I want to know everything."

----------------------------------------------

-

"What was her personality like?" Sakura asked her 5th question. Kakashi stroked his chin in a thinking manner. Sakura waited in silence for his answer as he continued to pace around the center of the room. "Hm... Hinata-hime is a very shy person..." Kakashi started explaining. "But she's good at heart." He continued. "Its better then acting like some spoiled brat," Sakura added in a playful manner. Kakashi chuckled, "Yes, it is." He agreed.

"She stutters, doesn't she?" Sakura asked after a few moments. "Ah, yes." Kakashi answered, looking down towards the floor. "Stuttering seems to be..." Kakashi toned down, thinking of the words to finish his sentence. "I suppose stuttering was one of those bad habits she'd picked up since she was born." He said in an unsure tone. Sakura nodded in response, she zoned out, thinking about how she'd pull this act off. Kakashi stroked his chin again. "There's nothing much left to say about her character other then shy and good hearted." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Sakura mechanically nodded in response again, still deep in thought. "Never the less," Kakashi said, walking towards the sitting princess. "This book of hers may come in handy." Kakashi placed a small brown booklet in her hands. Neatly written on the center of the front cover were the words: Hinata's Journal.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts after reading the title of the booklet. "B-but that's her personal journal!" She protested, trying to shove the book back into his arms. "Ah, already working on that stuttering, how delightful." Kakashi stated in a somewhat mocking tone, avoiding her question. Sakura pouted as Hinata's journal was once again placed in her hands. She stared at the small booklet, wondering whether or not she should read its contents or not.

"I'm sure she won't mind." Kakashi said, patting her head once before leaving the room, quietly shutting the down shut.

* * *

- 

"Itachi-sama!" The head cook called. Itachi turned around to face the cook, mentioning for him to continue. "We would just like to inform you that dinner will be served soon." Choji said, bowing infront of the prince. "Hn." Itachi nodded before walking off. "Would you like us to inform Sasuke-sama and Hinata-hime?" Choji called after the prince. Itachi stopped walking, and for a second, the head chief thought he was angry.

"No, I'll do it. Make sure the tables are set before I come back." Itachi ordered in an emotionless tone, back still facing the chief. Choji sighed out of relief, "H-Hai! Itachi-sama." He bowed as he watched the prince walk off again.

* * *

- 

Sakura had been set free to explore the castle after her meeting with Kakashi. He had politely presented her with a map of the castle, which she was currently using, making her way towards the courtyard. She had not planned on exploring the castle after her arrival. Her original plan was to lock herself up in the princesses... No, she was the princess now. Her original plan was to lock herself in_ her_ room and think things over. But, her lungs desperately called for fresh air, she was not used to the clean, 'rich' air that surrounded the castle. The air seemed to lack... freshness. Whenever she breathed the air in, it felt stuffy, too stuffy for her taste. So, answering her lungs desperate calls, she looked at the map one more time, making sure she was heading the correct way. The lavender haired princess sighed as she recalled her new life style. Stutter, be shy, yet good hearted and stutter some more.

-

Sakura walked into the peaceful grounds of the Uchiha kingdom's courtyard. The pebbles on the pathway created little sounds under her heels as she walked down the path, breathing in a large breath of fresh air. The lavender haired girl walked pass a large water fountain and stopped infront of a large rose bush, its vines twisting up a near by fence. She studied the delicate, silk like petals of the red rose infront of her. Carefully, she extended her right hand to cup the full bloom rose, only to be cut by one of its thorns. "Itai..." **(2)** Sakura mumbled as she inspected the small cut on her index finger. Frowning, she started sucking out the blood from the cut while observing the rose, without making anymore contact.

_A rose._

_Although it has its thorns, it's a common symbol of love. _

_Love..._

_Sometimes I feel as if people use this word too freely._

_- _

The princess look a like glared at the red flower. Blood red... Just like his eyes. She shook for head, trying to forget her present train of thoughts. Suddenly Sakura remembered what she was holding in her arms.

Hinata's journal.

She had read a few pages, although she was very hesitant in the beginning since she was invading someone's private property. But after reading only those few pages, she learned a lot of secrets her so called best friend had kept from her. One secret she would've never guessed. Her best friend, Naruto, was in love. In love with _the_ Uchiha princess. Hinata-san. Sakura's grip on the journal unconsciously tightened.

**Flashback**

After Kakashi had walked out, Sakura found herself looking at the door, and at the journal, then back at the door. She looked down at the book in her lap. Hinata's journal.

A journal is private booklet that people use to express their thoughts. Thoughts they don't want others to know. Reading a journal would almost be like invading someone's private thoughts. Kakashi had reassured her that Hinata wouldn't mind. But, the princess look a like was still hesitant.

Sakura drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she forced her hands to flip the journal open to a random page. Sakura opened her eyes again and quickly began reading before her body forced her to look away.

**June 18th **

**Naruto-kun's plans of running away with me are only a few days away. He hasn't explained much to me right now, but I am certain it will involve that pink haired girl he has told me so much about. I'm nervous about running away, and I'm sure my choice will disappoint mother and father greatly. And although I will most likely receive a punishment if I am caught, I believe Naruto-kun will do everything in his power to protect me. And maybe, one day, when I find the courage; I'll be able to tell him, I love you too.**

Sakura slapped the book close, guilt overpowering her after reading someone's private thoughts. She sighed as she allowed herself to fall back onto the bed.

"So Hinata-san was in love with Naruto-kun..." Sakura mumbled to herself.

**End of Flashback**

Sakura tapped her chin with her index finger. "Hm, strange, usually he would've told me these things." She thought out loud. A small groan was heard. Sakura snapped her head to the source of the sound.

It was an elderly maid.

"My back..." Sakura heard the maid mumble as the woman attempted to wash a pile clothing. Sakura walked closer to her, making sure she was still hidden from the maids view. "Tsk." She heard the maid mumble as she continued to wash the clothing with her bare hands.

Sakura popped up behind her. "Um... Ano... Would you like me to help you with that?" She suddenly asked, causing the maid to jump in surprise. The maid's eyes widened at the sight of the princess. "N-no! Certainly not hime-sama!" She bowed. Sakura's face held an uneasy smile as she stuck her arms up in defense. "Don't be silly!" She insisted. The maid refused help. "Your back is hurting though." Sakura continued to offer in a polite tone.

The maid couldn't argue with the fact that her back _was_ hurting. The maid stared as the princess rolled up her sleeves and sat down on the small stool before beginning to wash the clothing with her hands. "H-hime-sama," The maid said in a hushed, nervous tone. "You really shouldn't be hel-" She was cut off by a pale finger placed near her lips.

"Shh, I'll take care of the laundry for you." Sakura said, almost in a motherly tone. "As long as no one finds out, neither of us will be in trouble, right?" She continued to scrub the clothing in the bucket of water. "R-right." The maid said, still in an unsure tone. Sakura continued to wash the pile of clothing with expert hands. Being a slave for three years sure came in handy. The maid stood there in silence before quietly muttering the words. "Arigatou Hinata-hime."

Sakura caught the quiet words of gratitude. "No problem." She smiled.

_Being good hearted: Check! _

_If acting like Hinata is this easy, I'll be able to pull it off, no sweat! _

_Aw shit. Did I stutter enough? _

* * *

- 

Itachi kept his eyes out for both his little sister and brother. Passing the courtyard, Itachi found his little sister sitting ontop of a small looking stool, washing away with her bare hands. His eyebrow arched in confusion as he continued to watch his little sister work away, cleaning a decreasing pile of dirty laundry. The eldest prince sighed before walking over to the working princess. "Hinata," He called, causing the lavender haired princess to jump up. Sakura stopped washing for a moment as she turned towards the voice that called _her_ name. She stared up towards another handsome man, black hair just like _her_ brother, Sasuke. Except this mans hair was tied behind his back in a neat manner. He did however, have the same emotionless, coal black eyes as him though, his eyes led him to wonder, did he have the same red eyes as well?

"Dinner." Itachi stated.

Sakura blinked. "Dinner? Oh, yeah I'm coming." She said, turning back around to face the bucket as she began washing again. Itachi continued to stare at his sister in confusion. "Hinata." He called her name again. "Mhm?" Sakura replied, still not bothering to face the man behind her as she continued to wash the second last piece of clothing.

"What did dad tell you about helping the maids?" Itachi asked her. Sakura froze after hearing the question.

"Um... Don't?" She guessed her answer.

Itachi nodded. "Hurry up." He said, still standing behind her.

"Right." Sakura meekly nodded as she worked on washing the last piece of clothing. Itachi stood still for a few moments before turning around and walking away.

He smirked.

"Wrong answer, little sister."

* * *

**Translations -**

**(1) For those who are confused, that's Sasuke she bumped into. Quite a first meeting eh?**

**(2) Itai means ow**

* * *

**(A.N:) Whew! Sorry this chapter took so long! I 've actually been working on 2 one shots that randomly popped into my head instead of writing Tricks. Heheh... Don't blame me! I'm sure you guys will like both of them! One is more sad/fluff (Sasuke is actually IN character! Atleast, I think he is) and the other is actually based off of my life. I'm hoping to get them up before the end of October, but it all depends on time. I'd like to thank the 9 people who took the time to review the first chapter of Tricks, I tried my best to send a reply back to each and every one of you (sorry if you didn't get a reply, I might've missed it) Now, off to work on It's a Promise!**

**See you guys soon!**

**Review please? I'm aiming for 15+ reviews!**


	3. Teach a Princess, to be a Princess

**Sorry for the really really late update! I'm finally done my stupid exams! -celebrates-**

**New Disclaimer for this chapter: Again, Naruto does not belong to me. The song, Our Love by Boa does not either.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 –**

**  
**_Teach a Princess, to be a Princess. _

**Tricks**

* * *

Her stomach rumbled. She groaned.

_Food sounds great right about now..._

_No!_

_Wait!_

_Not just any food!_

x

_RICH yummy food! _

_Rich yummy food, meet Sakura's empty stomach!_

x

_Ooh dinnerrr! I'm coming for you!_

* * *

Sakura halted her skip as she bent over, her head popped out through the double doors, carefully scanning the room she was directed to go to from left to right. Green eyes wandered as she studied the heavily lighted room, grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling at almost every corner. The walls decorated in colored windows, and a large table that stretched from one end of the room to the other. Only 6 chairs were placed around the table, the two largest were located at each ends of the table, while the other three were set closer towards the middle. Sakura looked to her right, and then to her left. King and queen? She thought as soon as she spotted the rather large crowns on the two figures heads.

"Otou-san, oka-san." Came a voice from the opposite side of where Sakura hid. _Ah, theres Itachi._ The elder Uchiha heir stood straight ahead of her, and she wondered if he was able to see her right now looking like an idiot. He gave a short polite bow to the two that sat at each end of the table before stepping inside the room himself. A servant quickly made his way towards Itachi's chair, nervously pulling it out for him.

"Oka-san," Sakura's head snapped up to the voice beside her, she quickly stood up from her previous position, dusting off the imaginary dust from her gown. Sasuke stood tall and proud, not even casting her a glance as he walked passed her. Sakura silently noted how Sasuke did not greet his father before he walked in. As she watched her other brother sit down, she straightened herself up, feeling bold she entered through the doors herself. "O-otou-san. Oka-san." She mimicked in the most graceful voice she muster, she gave a quick bow.

When the king and queen returned a bow of their own, she walked to the closest empty chair. A nearby servant walked towards her, attempting to pull the chair out for the princess to sit on. However, he felt his hand grab nothing as he watched the princess pull out the chair herself (in a somewhat un-lady like way). The group of people in the room watched the scene in bewilderment, earning Sakura a few stares from her brothers. The look-a-like princess however, paid no heed to the gazes directed to her. She turned her head towards the servant beside her, giving him a questioning look. The servant only shook his head nervously before backing away, earning another puzzled face from Sakura.

Her foot tapped the ground beneath the table as the royal family waited in silence. She bit her lower lip, stopping herself from blurting out something stupid in order to cut the thick, looming atmosphere. Her hand gripped her stomach, hoping it wouldn't let out a loud growl. Sakura let out a sigh of relief as the main chef, Choji stepped in followed by a large amount of maids holding a plate in each hand. The chef bowed.

"Dinner, is served."

x

She unconsciously licked her upper lip as the maids continued to put dish after dish on the table. The smell alone made her stomach rumble. Choji stood to the left of the king, a smile plastered on his face, proud of his work. The moment the maids finished setting up the table, Sakura wasted no time mentally deciding which dish she would eat first. Finally settling for soup as a start, Sakura clasped her hands together in excitement before looking at her set of utensils placed on the table. Her eyes widened.

x

_S-so... So many spoons..._

Kakashi couldn't help but smile under his mask as he watched the raven haired princess facial expression. Annoyed, confused, nervous. And she was acting that way because of a few spoons and forks. He made a mental note to teach her the basics of table manners before he stopped to the right of the king's chair. The grey haired knight gave a bow. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Fugaku-sama, but if I may."

The king quietly grabbed a nearby napkin and dabbed his mouth with it. "Please continue, Kakashi." The king settled the napkin back on the table as he turned his head to face the knight. Kakashi gave a curt nod. "Well you see, I have a proposal to make. I've recently come in contact with the legendary Tsunade-hime. We've actually become close friends. And well, when I had told her about Hinata-hime, it seemed as if Tsunade was interested in making Hinata-hime a student of hers."

"Is there a reason why you suggest for her to train under Tsunade instead of letting her continue her training with Kurenai-san?" Fugaku asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "Iie, Fugaku-sama. I'm suggesting for her to train under both their care. I was thinking about switching mentors every other day." The knight explained.

Fugaku thought for a moment. "Tsunade uses hand to hand combat am I right?" He asked, double checking his thoughts. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes. I believe that could work." He paused for a moment stroking his chin. "Please do what you think is necessary." The king instructed before returning to his dinner.

"Arigatou Fugaku-sama. I'll be on my way then, please enjoy your dinner." He gave a polite bow before walking towards the door. The grey haired man made a quick glace at the princess, seeing how she hadn't even touched any of her utensils yet, he walked out with a chuckle.

_Royalty is so complicated... _Her stomach rumbled._ So hungry... S_akura pouted as she gripped her stomach eyeing the untouched food on the table._ IT'S RIGHT INFRONT OF YOU! JUST JUMP IT FOR PETES SAKE!_

No.

She must act like a true princess and not make a fool out of hersel- Hinata. Must not make a fool out of Hinata. _Stupid hungry stomach... _She lets out the quietest whimper as she eyed her brothers, eating without a care.

Sakura bites her lower lip as she looks across the table, trying to see which fork and spoon to use by mimicking her brother. Sasuke's plate was filled with slices of tomatoes at the side, and a rather large helping of... _Is that steak?! _

She quickly took note of which fork and knife her brother had taken, finding the same ones in her own set of utensils. She grabbed them, knife in her left hand and fork in the other. She was right handed. Sakura quickly fixed her mistake and switched the fork and knife to the opposite hand. She took a deep breath in._ How hard can cutting a piece of meat be?_

x

x

She could practically **see** the steam coming out of his ears.

Sasuke stood up from his chair, letting out an annoyed sigh out before excusing himself from the room with his fancy smoke trick. Itachi quietly finished the remainder of his meal in a graceful manner before gently dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief. He stood up as well. "Oka-san, otou-san." He bowed before walking out of the room with an air of superiority looming around him.

"Gomen... Sasuke..." Sakura meekly said, moments too late for him to actually hear it.

How was she supposed to know her share of steak was going to fly onto Sasuke's lap?

_The steak was probably still alive and uncooked and wanted to jump him! _

Sakura let out a sigh as she excused herself from the room as well. She quickly walked towards Hinata's room and opened the door. Throwing herself on the soft king sized bed, a sigh escaped from her mouth as she closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

x

_I'm living with Mr. I'm better then you and Mr. Poof a lot._

* * *

The sun shone early in the morning. Two figures were already out in the Uchiha training grounds.

"You are not in control." He lectured in a monotone voice. Sasuke growled as he helplessly struggled on the ground. Itachi stayed emotionless as he applied more pressure on his foot. They were training. Itachi was winning, he had a strong grip Sasukes hands which were now behind his back, while his face was pressed against the ground, Itachi's foot on top of his head. "Sheer anger in battle will get you no where." Sasuke tried to move his arms.

"Do you understand? Otouto?" Itachi questioned in a somewhat mocking tone. Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Get off me. "He growled. Itachi's grip on his hands loosened as he removed his foot from his head. "Hn." He nodded, getting up from his position. Sasuke muttered a string of curses as he got up himself. Itachi's eyes spotted the raven haired princess mindlessly wondering around the gates of the palace. She was dressed in her training outfit. "Hinata." He called her over. "Are you going to be training today?" He asked.

The said girl jumped from the sudden call of her name. She turned to face the eldest of the Uchiha siblings. _I only wore these clothes because I didn't feel like wearing a gown! _"T-training? N-no! Of course not... I'm only here to watch." Sakura lied.

"It has been a while since I've seen you fight. Since you're here, why don't you have a friendly match against Sasuke?" Itachi suggested which earned a glare from this brother. "I just fought her last week." Sasuke argued.

Itachi smirked at his little brother. "One week is a long time."

"Rules are. No killing, obviously. If the weapon is lost. Or if one surrenders. The match is over. Got it?" Itachi eyed his two siblings as they stood faced to face. "H-hai..." Sakura answered with hesitation. Her hands automatically clutch her kunai holster strapped on her right leg, which she had borrowed from Itachi. Sasuke sighed before going into his fighting position. Sakura quickly tried her best to copy the young man infront of her.

Itachi nodded the moment they were both in an offensive position. "Good. The match starts now." As soon as the match started, Sasuke's eyes flickered into crimson. Sakura's pale, lavender eyes widened in fear.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

x

She could only stand her ground as she watched him take out his kanata. She brought her hands up to shield herself from the incoming impact. Moments after nothing happened she opens one of her eyes and peeks out from between her arms. She felt a cool breath of air tingling her neck, causing her toinwardly shiver. "You lose." She heard a voice say from behind her. Her breath hitched up as the cool metal of his kanata was pressed against her neck.

She let out a scream.

x

She could feel her tears building up from the corner of her eyes. Never had she felt so helpless. She had no experience what so ever in the area of fighting. But never in her live had she felt so scared. So useless. "You've gotten weaker. A lot weaker. If the kingdom was under attack, I wonder how long you would last if all you did was scream for help." After a moment the metal sword was drawn back into its sheath. Sakura let out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding in. Her knees collapsed as they hit the floor, her hand automatically went up to touch her neck.

Sasuke glared down at his younger sister. "You are a princess, soon to be a queen. Can you really rule over a kingdom with such petty skills? You told me you wanted to get stronger. And yet, I fail to see any strength." He says in a harsh tone. "..." Sakura's head lowers as she says nothing, but she could feel the glare she received from him before he started walking away.

_It's not my fault... I didn't ask to be in this position. But... they tricked me... My best friend and his lover... They used me to find their own happiness... And now I'm stuck here, living someone else's life... Because I want them to be happy... Yet, a part of me wants to scream, to yell to punch, and ask why... Why did you have to betray me, Naruto? _

x

_I trusted you..._

x

"S-so..." Her voice is weak and pathetic, she knows, but she doesn't care. "You think putting me down makes you stronger then me?" Sakura questions as she stares at the ground, her voice still quiet and shaky. Sasuke stops walking, his hands still withdrawn into his pockets, he slightly tilts his head to the side, one of this coal black eyes staring at his little sister in curiosity. She glares at him. "Just because I may be weaker then you, does not give you the right to insult me in the way you have!" Sakura finds the courage to stand up on her own two feet now, both hands clenched into fists as she stared at the back of the raven haired Uchiha.

"You... You're such an asshole!" She blurts out in anger.

Itachi smirks.

Sakura quickly opened her holster, grabbing out the first kunai she could get her hands on. She slashes her left palm, letting the red liquid surface to her skin. Her blood drips to the ground, and for a moment she was scared about dying from blood lost, but she quickly shakes her thoughts as she extends her left arm out and forms a fist, her blood falls to the ground. "From now on. You're my rival! And I will beat you!"

* * *

_I can't believe I said that._

Sakura plays with her bandaged hand as she sat in silence, the carriage rocking up and down because of the uneven roads. She glances out of the small window; the sun showed that it was sometime early in the afternoon. "Tsunade lives only 2 villages from here. So everyday, you'll come with me and train with her until she calls it a day." Sakura tears her gaze away from the window as she looks to the grey haired knight sitting in the seat infront of her. "Which village are we passing?" She asks in a somewhat uninterested tone.

"This one." Kakashi points outside the window.

Sakura looks outside again, this time not looking to the sky. _The streets look poor. Farmland._ She gasps. "Stop the carriage! "She yells out in a frantic tone, flailing her arms around to emphasize her point. The driver immediately stops, causing Kakashi to grab onto the side of the carriage for support. When the vehiclecame to a complete stop, Kakashi wasted no time to question the look-a-like princess. "Sa-Hinata-hime! Where are you going?"

Sakura quickly opens the carriage door and jumps out, she wobbles a bit as she tries to stabilize her landing. _Note to self: It's not smart to jump with high heels._ A few moments after regaining complete balance she turns to face the confused knight. "U-um. Kakashi-san, please come with me." She turns her head towards the front of the carriage. "Mister carriage driver person..." Sakura says with hesitation. Kakashi smacked his forehead at her choice of words. "Please wait a second?" She bows before picking up her dress, running towards a pathway of a small nearby farmhouse cabin.

Kakashi runs up beside her. "What are you doing?" He asks. Sakura knocks three times on the front door of the cabin. She turns her head to the man beside her. "This was where I was held captive for the past 3 years before this whole turning into a princess incident happened." She whispers before snapping her head back to face the door. Kakashi's eyes furrowed. "And you're going back here why?" He asks in a confused tone.

She doesn't turn to face him this time as her gaze stays glued to the wooden door infront of them. "I have a few things I'd like to pick up." She merely states.

"You were a slave, what could you possibly own?" Kakashi blurts out in curiosity. Lavender eyes glare at the grey haired man. Kakashi registers what he had said just moments ago and mutters a small apology to Sakura.

"No. Its alright, it's probably what all royalty would think eh?" She says in an annoyed tone. Sakura knocks on the wooden door again as the two waited in silence.

The small door creaks open, revealing a familiar woman that Sakura remembered._ She's one of the wives that asked for their husbands to release me when I first awoke. _The woman recognizes the raven haired princess standing on her doorstep as her hands go up to her mouth in shock. "H-hinata-hime! What an honor it is to have you v-visiting! And what do we owe this special visit to?" She asks.

Sakura eyes soften as an angelic smile that rivaled the real Hinata's was plastered on her face. "Thank you my dear lady." She curtsy's with the same grace as a real princess would carry. "If it isn't too much trouble, could I maybe just grab a few things?" She asks in a polite tone.

"P-please come in then. Don't rush yourself." The woman ushered as she opened the door wider for both Sakura and Kakashi to step in. Sakura gives her thanks to the woman as she walks through the door. "It'll only be a second." Sakura reassures the woman with the same polite voice. Kakashi's eyes flickered to the right of him. She was almost a complete copy of Hinata with that voice.

A few steps could be heard coming towards them. A door to their left opens and a man steps out. "Who was-- H-Hinata-hime!" He exclaims in a shocked tone. _It's him, one of the few villagers that made me work my ass off for them. _Sakura's lavender eyes flickered with a hint of mischief and revenge as she looked at the man before her, but she quickly covered up her tempting thoughts.

"Good afternoon." She greets him with that same graceful tone she had managed to master. The man puts on a nervous smile as he bows to the princess a few times. "M-My! What a pleasant surprise! Are you feeling well today?" He asks her in a nervous tone.

Sakura nods. "Quite well."

"Honey." The woman shakes her husband's arm lightly, gaining his attention. "Hinata-hime said she had a few things to pick up." She softly explains to him in a somewhat scared tone. A bead of sweat rolled down his face. "O-oh! And what might those be?" He asks.

"Just a few items that were requested by my father." Sakura lies with no trouble.

"I-items you say?" The man stutters.

She nods. "Yes. I think they should be over in that room somewhere." Sakura points to the room where the man had recently stepped out from. Her old room.

The woman lets out a small gasp. "That room you say? But... that's the prison-" She was cut off by her husbands hand clamping over her mouth, causing her to make muffled noises under his hand. The man lets out a nervous laugh. "That rooms the storage room! N-now what would you like to find in there? Would you like me to search for you?"

Sakura closes her eyes for a moment and softly shakes her head. "No. That is quite alright. I can go in myself." She says as she takes a small step forward.

The man quickly thinks of an excuse. "It's dirty! And dangerous!" He exclaims.

Sakura let out the smallest smirk. "That's alright. A little dirt doesn't do much. And besides." She mentions with her head to the grey haired knight standing beside her. "I have my dear knight with me. I don't feel any danger."

With that, the man had no other choice but the let the princess-look-a-like in the room.

Sakura could only stand in silence as she saw nothing. The few things she had left was completely gone, out of site. She had an urge to yell and demand what happened, but that would blow her cover. So she took in a deep breath and allowed herself to calm down before speaking. "Your... Storage room is quite bare..." She chose her words carefully.

"Y-yes... We... Um. We recently just cleaned it out you see." The husband explains.

"Cleaned it out?" Sakura asks in curiosity.

The wife nods. "Hai, Hinata-hime. We threw most of the things away." She gave a small bow after explaining.

"I see." Sakura says in disappointment.

Sakura turns around, causing her fake raven colored hair to fan around her. "Well then. I'm afraid the search must go on. Thank you for your time." She gives the two a small bow with her head.

The wife raises both hands up, feeling uneasy seeing the princess bow to them. "N-not at all! Thank you Hinata-hime for visiting!" She laughs.

Sakura smiles. "I wish you two the best."

x

x

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed as she plopped herself down on the comfy carriage seat. Kakashi takes his previous spot as well before closing the door, the carriage starts moving again.

Kakashi smiled under the mask of his. "Quite the actor you are." He compliments her. Sakura breaks out in a grin as she sticks her tongue out. "It was hard work! But thank you." She laughs.

"So, what we're you trying to find?" Kakashi asks, changing the subject. Sakura stops her laughter. "Nothing much... Just a song I had left behind." She explains. "A song?" Kakashi asks. Sakura nodded. Kakashi scratched the side of his head in thought, wondering what song would be so important to her that she'd want to fetch it back.

"Do... Do you mind if we make a stop to the rubbish dump before we arrive at Tsunade-sama's house?" Sakura askes after a few minutes of silence. "Not at all." Kakashi says.

Sakura mentally groaned the moment she stepped out of the carriage. She plugged her nose. "It reeks." She said with a stuffy voice. Kakashi safely tucks his little orange book back in his pocket as he points to a large pile of garbage. "That my princess, is the smell of another man's treasure!" He exclaims with excitement. The two walked farther from the carriage stopping near the center of the dump. "Now, what were you trying to find?" The knight asks, his head looking from left to right.

"A paper, with black writing written on both sides. The paper is about this big in size." Sakura uses her hands to show the approximate size of the paper. Kakashi nods as he begins to dig through the rubbish. He takes a glance behind him, where Sakura stayed still, just watching him. "Shouldn't you be searching as well?" He asks.

Sakura smirks, "Well. Dear Sir Kakashi. You like treasure am I right?" She questions him in a mischievous tone.

Kakashi nodded, still not getting what she was trying to imply. "Every man does."

Sakura grinned. "Well I'm not a man. Therefore. I don't like treasure. And because this dump is another mans treasure. And you're the other man that LOVES treasure..."

Kakashi sighed before continuing his search for the desired paper.

"Bonsai!" Sakura exclaims clapping her hands while jumping up and down in joy that she didn't have to go through garbage. "Arigatou!" She smiles.

x

"Is this it?" Kakashi asks holding up an orange book after a few moments of digging. Sakura frowns in confusion. "No... That's your book you always carry around."

Kakashi stood up and gently punched his sore back. He quickly flipped through the pages of the book. "It's also a piece of paper with black writing on it." He explains, getting tired of looking for a small piece of paper in the large garbage dump. He found a relatively clean spot on the ground and sits down, immediately opening book to where he last stopped.

Sakura pouted as she poked a few boxes with the tip of her heels before peering over Kakashi's shoulder. "Just wondering, but what's the book about?" She asks, her eyes trying to read a sentence or two from the book. Kakashi quickly closes the book. "Ah! At last! Someone with the same interest! You see my dear Sakura-chan." He explains in a happy tone.

_He sounds like a perverted old man right now..._

x

"This book is about a tragic love story where two people find themselves helplessly in love with one anoth" The knight stops in mid sentence when he noticed the look-a-like princess was no longer listening to him. Sakura walks towards a small brown box, looking relatively good compared to the other things they had found before. "Hey! There's a box from that room I was held captive in! I'm sure of it!" She shouts, picking up the bottom of her dress and making a dash for it.

Kakashi sighs as he once again pockets the book and walks towards the princess. "I feel like I was ignored..." He mutters as he stands behind her crouched figure. Sakura quickly opens the box. "They just threw the whole box altogether... Everything I owned is still in it." She says out loud while digging through the contents of the box. Kakashi's one eye peered over her shoulder. "Well, everything you own certainly isn't a lot." He comments. Sakura hears his comment but choose to ignore it, too busy on finding that song she owned.

"Seems like that dress is gone." She mutters as she continues to dig through her box. Kakashi's eyebrow arched. "You had a dress?" He asked.

"Yes, Naruto-kun gave it to me for my birthday. It was so pretty. I don't know where he got it from, but it was the most breathtaking dress I've laid eyes on... Well, technically, it was the only dress I laid eyes on, since I forgot whether or not I've seen dresses before that time... But still! It was a pretty midnight purple dress with lavender colored ribbons that were used the tie the corset together. It's just too bad they weren't my colors..." She explains.

"That dress you're talking about. Was it a grand dress? Not like the ones worn by commoners?" Kakashi questions her, having a feeling he saw that dress somewhere before.

"Of course! It looked like a dress Hinata-hime would wear..." She slows down her speech as she thinks for a moment. "That was Hinata's dress!" She shouts in a surprised tone.

Kakashi nodded, his prediction was correct. "That dress was also one of the best pieces made by Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata's mentor as well as her famous dress maker." The knight explains to the girl beside him.

Sakura pulls her hair in frustration. "Ugh! I'm in deep deep shit! How much was that dress worth?" She pauses for a moment. "Lets see, it felt like it was made out of silk. That's about... This much yen." She uses her fingers, mentally calculating estimated numbers within her head. "Then the gold buttons. Oh and the lace up corset looked expensive too!" She lets out a stressed out groan. "How am I supposed to pay for it?" She frantically asks the knight beside her, shaking his shoulders.

Kakashi allows his head to freely bobble back and forth from the shaking he was receiving from the girl. "Sakura. You are Hinata now. So... It was technically your own dress that you lost..." He explains in a calm voice. "Anyway. We'll find that dress later. Keep looking for that piece of paper you wanted." He points to the box that was momentarily forgotten by the disguised princess.

"O-oh! Yeah right! I'm on it!" She exclaims, going back to her search for the paper. Kakashi sighs. "Sometimes I think it'd be best to just act like a princess all together, and not switch in and out of the act." He says. Sakura didn't bother turning her head back when she asked "Why?"

The knight shrugs, even though she wasn't looking at him. "You never know when someone catches you on your... regular non-princess like act."

"I guess..." Sakura half heartedly agrees. Getting impatient she quickly flips over the box, shaking the box up and down, letting the contents fall out of it. "Ugh! Where is it?" She asks, crouching down again and sorting through her belongings.

"I wonder how King Fugaku would react hearing your tone." Kakashi lectures her. Sakura pouts but says nothing as she continued her search. She grabs the box again, after failing to find it on the ground. She looks through it one last time, the corner of the piece of paper was visible, most of the paper however was underneath one of the flaps of the cardboard box. She carefully pulls out the paper. "Found it!" She shouts happily waving the paper in the air letting the knight see for himself.

Hr carefully takes the paper from her hands, making sure not to rip the small piece of material. His one visible eye scans over the writing.

**Anata no egao wa, namida deru kurai. Ooki na sonzai, kakegae no nai.**_  
When I see your precious smiles, tears fall from my eyes._

**Donna toki datte dakishimete kureta**_  
With every warm hug._

Sakura starts humming the tune outloud.

**Atatakai sono ude no naka ni**_  
I feel so safe in your arms._

**My Love kono yo de hitotsu**_  
You're my love, my only one in this world._

**Your Love watashi tachi dake no**_  
Your Love, creates the world around us._

**Koko ni umareta, hanabira yo**_  
From this point on, a flower has bloomed._

**I Believe, dare yori mo tsuyoku. Mamori tsuzukete kureta koto.**_  
You've always protected me. these feelings, I believe it's stronger than anything._

**Ima yatto wakatta**_  
And then finally I knew_

**Yes I Believe, ima made ienakatta kotobade**_  
Yes I believe, I haven't found the words to say..._

**Arigatou...**

_Thank you..._

x

"What is this?" Kakashi asks, handing the girl the piece of paper back.

Sakura takes hold of the paper again. "A song that's very precious to me. The day I woke up in the villagers cabin, I found this sheet of paper folded in my pocket." She clutches the paper into a gentle embrace as she closes her eyes with a small smile. "I feel as if it's the only piece of my memories that I have left." She explains in a soft voice.

Kakashi smiled at the sight. "It's a good thing you found it then, yes?" He asks, patting the top of her head.

"Hai." Sakura laughs.

"A princess must be graceful, polite and kind am I right?" Sakura asks as they sat in the carriage once again. Must remember to thank the carriage driver person for making so many stops!

"Yes, that's correct." Kakashi answers her question.

"Well... About that... I... Well I kinda called Sasuke an ass infront of him and Itachi earlier today..."

Kakashi laughs. Sakura puffs out her cheeks in a child like manner. "Well it was exactly in front of his face! I actually called him an ass when his back was facing me! Heck! I don't even know if he heard me! Don't I get points for that?"

"Sakura, I heard you and I was all the way in the other side of the palace." Kakashi tells her.

Sakura sinks into her seat a bit. "I'll just shut up before I lose any more of my pride."

* * *

"Hinata-hime, we have arrived." Comes a voice from outside the carriage. Sakura's head snaps up from the song as she glances outside. "Ah! Kirei!"**(1)** She says in awe as she presses her face closer to the window. The carriage door opens as the carriage driver offers his hand for the princess to step off. Sakura quickly takes the hand and gracefully steps off the carriage, running up a bit closer to the small but beautifully decorated house infront of her. A small stream ran from left to right, a arch was built a little further to the right of where Sakura stood, she quickly ran across it, not minding the calls she was receiving from Kakashi. Her eyes met a small, but cozy looking house, beautifully decorated with flowers and bushes. _I can't wait to start training!_

"Heyah!" She hears from a distance. Her head snaps to the direction of the voice, and just a few moments after she feels the world beneath her shake and crack open. Sakura's eyes widened as she quickly ran back to Kakashi's side, away from the breaking ground.

"Get the fuck out! You old pervert!" The voice yells again.

x

"Don't ever touch my sake!"

x

x

The house explodes.

x

Sakura was shaking at the sight infront of her. "K-ka-Kakashi-san... A-are you sure... We're at the right place?" She shakes his arm a bit when he doesn't look at her.

"Absolutely." He answers in the calmest tone.

x

"Stop running away and take the pain like a man!" More sounds of the ground breaking were heard.

"Run! Run! A mad big breasted woman is chasing after me!" Came another voice. A white haired, toad like man wearing traditional Japanese shoes came running from the house, frantically waving his arms in the air.

A blond woman comes chasing after that man. "Why you littl-" She stops in mid-sentence as soon as she caught sight of the 2 standing infront of her house.

"Kakashi, Hinata-san?" She asks. "What are you two doing here?" She questions as she walks towards them. Sakura hid behind Kakashi like a small scared child.

"Tsunada-sama, please meet Sakura-san." Kakashi introduces as he lightly pushes Sakura forward.

Tsunades face softens as she smiles. "Ah. You must be the one Kakashi told me about. Please to meet you- Just a second." Her hazel colored eyes close for a moment. "I can still see you, so don't even try anything stupid." She says in a completely different tone then before. The blond doesn't even bother to turn around as she taps the heel of her shoe against the floor. The ground cracks behind her, and a man's scream could be heard from a distance.

x

"Anyways." Tsunade says, opening her eyes once more. "My name is Tsunade." She smiles and brings out her hands for Sakura to shake. The princess-look-a-like hesitantly brings out her hands as well, hoping her move wouldn't bring her death. The two shakes hands, Tsunade smiles. "Well then, shall we begin?"

_What... What have I gotten myself into?_

x

x

"Kakashi, care to explain why you reek of garbage?"

* * *

x

x

**_Translations -_**

**_1. _**Kirei - Pretty

* * *

x

x

**_(A.N:) _**_So thats the end of this chapter! Its more of a lighter, happier chapter then most (it may even seem a bit filler ish) but don't worry! This chapter is like a root to the plotline!_

_I'd like to thank BlackButterfly for giving me some advice on writing my storyAs you see, I didn't leave it on a cliff hanger (kinda) and I also tuned down the flashbacks a bit. Thanks for your criticism! _

_I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed for the 2nd chapter too! We passed the goal of 15 reviews! Sorry again for the long delay in updating, I've been updating and posting other stories while studying for exams during the last 4 months._

x

**Questions_ and _**_Answers_

**Will Sakura stay in Hinata's form through out the whole story?**

_Of course not! This is a SasukexSakura story! Sasuke will have to see Sakura's real form in order for the story to go on! ; ) I have a few events already planned for it!_

**How about NaruHina? Are they going to come back?**

_Yep! Although they've only been featured in the story for only 1 out of the 3 chapters, they will be back (sooner then you think) The pairing NaruHina will be a big part of this story!_

**Why aren't there any SasuSaku fluff scenes yet?**

_Ah, lots of reasons for that. One, its only the third chapter (I don't like how some stories make them fall in love with each other without them actually interacting and such.) Two, I'd like to slowly let their relationship develop (you can't really love someone you just met can you?) and three, it's only the third chapter: P Don't worry though, it'll come (since I'm a sucker for fluff scenes)_

**Is Sasuke always going to have a stick stuck up his ass throughout the whole story?**

_Er. Hopefully he won't. It may take a while though._

**Why can Sakura act like a real princess infront of villagers, but act totally out of character (Hinata's character) when she was fighting Sasuke?**

_She was pissed off at him, she was scared, it tends to take over peoples mind and make them act before they think._

**How about the other Naruto characters? Will they be featured in this story?**

_I'm trying to keep the number of characters low, but I might have them hinted in a few chapters, and imply a few other couples, but they most likely won't have a big impact on the storyline._

**Whats with the song?**

_Um, yeah. I'm still feeling hesitant choosing the song: Our Love by boa. But it seemed to fit the best out of all my other Japanese songs I've listened to. This song will be repeated and featured in a few of the other chapters. (I don't just add songs for nothing!) Who knows, it may even be a little link between Sakura and Sasuke ; )_

* * *

**Next time on Tricks – **(_Insert drama and suspense filled music_)

"Sakuraaa-channn!" A familiar voice calls.

"Naruto?"

Sakura quickly runs to the large mirror in her room and gasps at the sight infront of her._ Pink hair? Green eyes! _"W-Whats going on?" Sakura asks.

Her head snaps towards the door. Three firm knocks were made from the other side. "Oi, Hinata."

"Shit. Thats Sasuke."

* * *

OMG!? Don't you wanna kill me for that now? What a mean preview haha!

**Aiming for maybe... 20 reviews?**

I know, thats pushing it. I usually never get that many reviews. I guess its worth a try...

Thanks for reading!


	4. I'm taking a break from fanfiction

Hey guys.. This isn't a chapter (as you might have noticed) its a farewell note :)

I'll be taking a break from fanfiction... I'm planning maybe half a year, might be shorter, might be longer. But yeah...

Its just been really busy for me lately. I haven't been on fanfiction for about a month now. I'm behind on all the stories that are on my favorite list (the stories that inspired me to write in the first place) and I have a writters block for almost every single story I've written so far. Its really really bad.

I just feel as though I left too many open stories, and I can't finish them all. So I'm taking a break, and when I come back, I'll most likely be starting a new account all together, cause I want a fresh start. I wrote stories for my own enjoyment but theres just too much pressure on me updating now that I can't enjoy it...

Now don't think just because I'm taking a break means I'll stop writting all together. No no! While I'm on my break, I'll still be writting, it'll just be saved onto my computer instead of posted on fanfiction. And once I feel I've written enough chapters/stories, I'll come back from my break and post them up in a more orgainized manner.

My account will still be up while I'm on my break (if that does anything to lift the disappointment off your shoulders) And when I come back, I'll update my stories again with an accouncement that I finished my break, and the name of my new account (which is still undecided).

Sorry about this guys. But I really need it. I hope you all understand.

See you all next 6 months. I hope everyone has a fun summer break. Don't worry! Theres loads of other stories out there much better then mine! And I've had many new stories on my mind thats beening drafted into words, so theres lots to look forward to! I promise, this break will be better for both of us!

I'll miss everyone. Thanks for all the support you guys have given me up until now.

- Jen


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